David Conner + Associates is a planning, landscape architecture, and urban design firm that creates well planned and beautiful outdoor environments. Driven by the passion to improve people’s lives through comfortable and engaging spaces, I founded the business in 1997. It was clear to me that outdoor spaces are more than just places where people simply gather or pass through to get from one point to another. They are—and should be—almost sacred spaces dedicated to the people who go there. Our job is to understand and create those conducive environments. Is the space a haven for readers? Will it be used for recreation or entertainment? Is it a place for public gathering or events? Or does it simply need to be welcoming, safe and attractive? Whatever the purpose, I wanted to build a business that created the spaces that would encourage people to return, if not for a specific purpose, then at least for the pure beauty and sociability aspects found there.

We have been fortunate to have partnered with many public and private organizations. They believe in what we do and in the importance of designing engaging environments. Our projects have included civic and entertainment venues, academic environments, transportation and pedestrian enhancements, healthcare and healing gardens, places of spiritual and religious reflection and fine homes and gardens. I am grateful that so many have trusted us with their vision.

I’m pleased to say that we have been recognized with many state and regional awards for design excellence including the Fredrick B. Stresau Award for design excellence from the ASLA/FL, the Roy S. Rood Award from the FNGLA and the Excellence in Design Honor from the United States Air Force. We are honored. But that’s not what drives us. We approach each project with our passion to improve people’s lives. Through beauty. Purpose. And sustainability. And even though our work continually challenges us to understand our role in defining our human interactions with natural systems, our values will never change. It’s how we started and I’m confident that those values will serve us—and you—well into the future.

David Conner, President, ASLA